Chapter 154: Chapter 64 The Arrival of the Finals Chapter 154: Chapter 64 The Arrival of the Finals “Are we already down to the top one hundred?”
After every exhilarating match, even with adrenaline pumping, isn’t it a joke to have two such straightforward victories in a row?
Mu Fan watched Tyrone walk away, then thought of Duke who had left just before, and glanced at his own left arm without showing any emotion, his heart warmed.
Thank you guys…
Tyrone, with his dazzling golden curls, came down and high-fived Duke, who had been waiting.
“Yes!”
The people around them instantly fell over in shock.
Are you two out of your minds?
“I did it!”
“I knew you could!”
“Yeah, doing a good deed makes me feel happy.”
“Right, I’ve gotten hooked on this feeling of helping others.”
“Me too.”
The two youths, with a spiritual realm beyond the reach of those around them, chatted and laughed as they walked away.
“We’re off to the loser group now, we absolutely can’t lose this time.”
“Yeah, we’ll stand out!”
Everyone: …
What kind of bad karma did the Great Demon King accumulate to have such heaven-defying luck?
To encounter two fools with just one bump!
Now that he had accomplished his goal, Mu Fan could finally sit peacefully in the waiting area.
The top one hundred competitors were soon determined.
The rest would go through the finals of the losers’ group.
The Colonel stood upon the platform and shouted to those below, “The top one hundred competitors of this contest have now been determined, and first off, congratulations to you all.”
No applause came from the audience…
“The first phase of the competition is now complete.”
What?
Everyone’s ears pricked up.
The results are out, and it’s just the end of the first phase?
“The final duel begins.”
Those who had just won, including Mu Fan, looked at the platform in astonishment.
…
In the Academy’s mid-air observation area, all staff members had received a notification ten minutes ago to prepare for the final contest.
“Are you kidding me?
Is this year’s competition a joke?
Our academy’s folks are all confused; we have no choice but to follow the military’s arrangements!”
“What else can we do?” A senior observer from Taoyun Academy leisurely took a puff of his cigarette, exhaling four successive smoke rings.
“Let’s see what the notice says, hmm, a wilderness survival battle?” A muscular man exclaimed in surprise.
“Are those blockheads in the military sick in the head?” A young man with glasses jumped up.
This is a regular army drill, with a death quota specified in the documents.
Ruan Xiongfei was also among this group, skimming through the document on the table before tossing it aside.
Who proposed this test?
It seemed like every step was beyond everyone’s expectations.
Putting a group of students who haven’t yet entered the academy through a professional drill only amphibious troops could conduct—that’s going for blood in the selection process.
Had there been changes in the military’s high command?
Or…
was the Federation engaging in some abnormal activities?
Normally, such an extremely challenging test wouldn’t be possible.
He knew the military’s style all too well.
In the hands of those who just take up space, the army becomes a casualty of class struggle.
In the hands of true soldiers, the army’s finest young men often face the fate of dying on the battlefield.
This time, the military’s approach wasn’t about picking reserve officers; it was more like selecting members for the Sharp Blade Team.
Was everything being kept a secret from the academy?
…
“Instructor Ruan, wouldn’t you like to share your thoughts?” Someone noticed Ruan Xiongfei deep in thought.
“I have no objections; it looks good to me.”
A single sentence left the questioner half-choked to death.
At this moment, the Major’s voice just began to rise from below.
What was the final contest?
As everyone wondered, the Major quickly provided an answer.
“Please prepare the top 100 from the winner group, as you will be transported by aircraft after changing into Special Combat Team uniforms.
During this time, you will be cut off from the outside world.”
Soon, two groups of soldiers surrounded the resting area and then dispersed to form a passage for the candidates to leave.
Mu Fan did not react much, following the crowd while listening to the Major’s voice continue:
“The loser group will continue to compete, with separate arrangements for the top twenty.”
The route ahead was unknown, and as of now, there were no announcements or experiences to draw upon.
Everyone first entered two armored vehicles, which were then hermetically sealed.
One person to a seat inside.
The thick steel armor contained special materials, the soundproofing so outstanding that, aside from the vibrations transmitted through the chassis, hardly any external noise could be heard.
Mu Fan’s keen hearing could only pick up the occasional muffled human voices, but they were too blended together to discern the words.
Some began to try and communicate with those around them, as they could very well become classmates in the time to come.
Others closed their eyes to contemplate the environment they were now in.
And yet others, well, they were sleeping.
The dark environment was ideal for hibernation.
After listening for a while, Mu Fan chose to give up and began to sleep.
By stopping the use of other energies, his arm was rapidly recovering.
The first hour passed smoothly, but then everyone immediately felt the ride starting to get bumpy.
This lasted for about half an hour, and then with one last jolt, the vehicle finally stopped.
The hydraulic door hissed open, the influx of light making it difficult for anyone to open their eyes.
However, without even opening his eyes, Mu Fan’s spirits were stirred.
That was the scent of soil.
The fresh air special to forests, the scent that belonged to nature.
Had their party already left the urban area?
Upon opening his eyes, Mu Fan saw the profound primitive forest that completely enveloped them.
The thick vines, mottled tree bark, various indelible traces of time; this was definitely not something that could have been artificially done.
“Alright, keep up with the team; ahead lies the base,” said an officer from the armored vehicle.
Ahead?
Someone looked up—wasn’t that just a cliff in front of them?
But they only saw the officer knock on a stone more than ten times, after which a tremendous roaring noise suddenly rose.
A door actually appeared on that cliff?
This was the military’s secret base!
Seeing this familiar scene, Mu Fan felt as if he had returned to the time when he cleverly seized the RX-16 Mecha Body.
The military’s secret warehouse was designed just like this.
The candidates followed the officer into the mechanical corridor behind the rocky wall.
“Follow the marked lines, or you will be shot with a laser if you cross them,” the officer’s chilling words caused a few restless candidates to rein in their thoughts.
What was odd was that along the way, there were no guards to be seen, only various automated weapons.
The automated grenade launchers that could rush towards the crowd at any time made several knowledgeable candidates shiver; damn, if one of those were to misfire, it could potentially kill dozens in such an enclosed space.
Mu Fan didn’t recognize these things; all he remembered was that he had passed twelve bends and taken the Floating Stairs twice, and they were not underground now, but at a very high elevation above ground!
“Alright, everyone is here; I will now explain the rules to you all.”
“The setting for the final contest is a 200-square-kilometer Primitive Forest area.”
“Each of you will receive a simple electronic map, which will be divided according to different areas, and we will announce areas that will be disqualified one hour in advance.
Of course, for your survival, the military will provide standard Army Combat Uniforms, as well as a military dagger.
Of course, there’s also a special gift prepared specifically for you by the Federal military— the mysterious backpack!”
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